ASOS hair stylist claims lack of sex made him hide camera in men’s toilets
Dominic Hendy was going through a dry spell after a relationship ended and he suffered from anxiety
By Steve Brown
An ASOS hair stylist planted a secret camera in the men’s toilet of the company’s 2,000-guest party and claimed it was because he hadn’t had sex for 12 months.
Dominic Hendy, 28, claimed he was going through a dry spell and that the lack of intimacy led him to hide a camera behind toilet rolls to film the cubicle users, the Evening Standard reported.
In July, he pleaded guilty to voyeurism by installing equipment to observe others for his own sexual gratification at Hawker House, in Canary Wharf.
His lawyer, Alexander Goscimski, told the magistrate’s court: “He was without sexual contact for a year and felt stressed and was not thinking straight.”
Prosecuting, Chidi Ikwuakolam said: “A cleaner at the event was cleaning the men’s toilet and came across a small black box on the floor and handed it to a security guard, assuming it was lost property.
“The manager realised it was a camera that had been put carefully on the floor in one of the one-person cubicles and purposefully obstructed with toilet rolls.
“It showed full-frontal views of people using the toilet and the defendant was identified as the person who placed the camera in the location.”
The probation officer, Patrick Acres, claimed he had been in a relationship but he suffered from anxiety after it ended.
Acres said: “Prior to this offence he had been in a relationship. When that ended it sent him into a spiral of anxiety.
“He did look around for casual relationships, but did not find that satisfactory and for the past 12 months has been celibate.
“One way of coping was to self-medicate with drugs, including ketamine and crystal meth.
“These drugs lower inhibitions quite drastically and there was some use of pornography, and with the drugs, that led him down this route of setting up the camera.
“He says he now feels quite sick about it and it is something he would never do again, but came about due to his isolation and taking these drugs.”
Hendy was suspended by the fashion retailer while the outcome of the case was decided.
He was given a 12-month community order – including 150 hours of community service work – and he must pay £85 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.
The hair stylists must also sign the sex offenders register for five years.